Hey cool, people actually seem to be liking Spike. I've always loved him, hehe. I think it's funny how he's always there, either ruining the moment or cussing out Inuyasha…either way, he's so sweet. I'm thinking about putting him in the other story that I am writing. What do you think? I'm glad some people like Rei too, I think she's perfect for our green-haired…moron. But anyway. *__* I thought I was the only person in the world who liked the movie Interview with A Vampire, nobody at my school has seen it, heck some people have never even heard of it ::cough:: Katie ::cough::, I no longer feel alone. Okay I read a story the other day where a girl said she wouldn't update her story until she got ten reviews, my first thought was 'how pushy?' but…I can kind of see where she's getting at now. You work so hard, and people read what you have put blood, sweat, and finger cramps into, and they most of the time just don't review. It kind of annoying, not that I am complaining or anything, from the reviews that I have received have been nothing but pleasurable, and I've even made a few friends from people who went and emailed me. HEY GUYS! ! ! But anyway, yeah…review…or (dare I say it) I won't update…. T__T. Why do I feel so mean now? Oh well, who cares? Not me. Lol. Also, if you guys like Dante, I have put him in the other story I have started. Only he is more of a main character in that one. I haven't gotten very far on it, just the first chapter, but as soon as I finish Rumors Ruin Reputations I'm going to devote all my time to that fic, Ecstasy. Hope you enjoy this chapter, cause there's only like four or five left to write.

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CHAPTER NINETEEN

Discovery.

"You got the whole bus ride on videotape?!" Inuyasha screamed into Spike's ear.

Spike only smirked. "Yep. The whole sweet and tender love seen is frozen in time." He held up his camera. "It's a true masterpiece…and I caught it all…the whole 'lovey dovey' hug seen, and much-much more my friend…coming to a theater near you."

Inuyasha grabbed Spike by the collar of his bomber jacket. "Listen hear, Matsumoto. You destroy that damn thing…or I'll tell Rei what you did last summer."

Spike's eyes widened, it wasn't the moped incident, oh no my friends, this was far worse, this was…just plain out embarrassing. Picture this Spike and his ten-year-old niece, at a Britney Spears concert in matching pink shirts with an image of the pop star's face on the front. It had been Spike's punishment for failing Algebra.

"You wouldn't." Spike gasped.

"Oh I would, and I've still got the picture you're mom gave me to prove it."

Spike gulped. "I…I don't have the bus footage on this tape."

Inuyasha looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Elaborate." He growled in a sarcastic tone. It wasn't often that Inuyasha used big words, but when he did you knew he was mad, not just the mad that he normally was…he was far beyond that when he was mad enough to act sophisticated. And the longer the words got…the madder you could tell he was. Super-caly-fragelistic-expe-ala-docious.

Spike whimpered ever so slightly as Inuyasha's face grew redder and redder and whoa…steam was beginning to pour from his ears. "I changed the tapes out last night. The bus ride's footage is back at the hotel…but I 'kinda'…"

"'kinda' what?" Inuyasha's eyes grew narrower and narrower, until it looked like they were completely disappeared.

"Lent it to Sango…"

"You mean you don't have it anymore?"

"Yes…she wanted to see you and Kagome hugging and…I didn't think anything of it, so when she, Katsumi. And Asuka asked if they could see it, I just gave it to them, and then when I…."

"Spike."

"Yes?"

"You better run like hell, because when I catch you……"

Spike didn't wait around to hear the rest of Inuyasha's sentence before he bolted as far a way from Inuyasha as possible, who intern followed him in hot pursuit. Screaming threats all the way. "I'm 'gonna' kill you!"

~*~*~*~

Demona sat flirtatiously on the couch opposite her two male companions inside the large waiting room behind the stage. Her legs were crossed, showing off as much thigh as she could get away with. She couldn't help but smile at the attention she received from Gore, but much to her disliking Dante seemed to be ignoring her completely. He always did that when she tried to seduce him. Her purple eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she took a new approach, she stood up and walked over to Dante Doi, taking a seat in his lap and draping her arms around his neck. Her smile widened at the uncomfortable look that passed across his face as he turned and looked in the opposite direction of the woman's…robustness.

"Do you mind, Demona?"

The curly-haired woman merely giggled to herself, leaning in to give Dante a slight nibble on the ear. "What's the matter, sour puss?"

Dante stared over at Gore, who at the moment was drooling. Dante wanted to snarl. He hated Gore; he was like a rat, with his long narrow face and beady eyes.

"Please Ms. Sigfreed, I would like to ask that you contain to our simply professional relationship."

"Well aren't we the business man?" she whispered in his ear

Dante moaned; his hands lying limply by his side; never once reaching up and claiming the woman like he knew he could do.

Demona only giggled, "Oh come on…" she pressed a gentle kiss to his neck. "You know you want this…." She licked his neck, her tongue trailing downward.

"That does it." Dante growled pushing her off of him. He hated Demona, hated everything about her and her sinister ways. She was beautiful, he would give her that much, but she was too…too wild. With the way she dressed she was commonly thought to be a hooker standing on the side of the street. And what was worse in Dante's opinion was that the woman knew she could have any man she wanted…she could even have Dante if she really wanted to. Over the years he had known her she had led him up to…things, and then denied him at the last second, always leaving Dante wanting more. It had come to a point that he had started acting like he thought she was a disgusting creature, but it seemed that she saw right through that act…she always did. He may act like he hated her, but she knew, deep down, he loved her.

Demona pouted, putting up her own little show, one of disappointment, but in reality she was beside herself with satisfaction. She knew that by pushing herself on him, she could make him squirm. It was a thrill to her, even if she truly had no interest in him at all. Just making him sweat under the collar was like a game to her.

Gore stared at Demona, part of him was readying up to watch a little entertainment, and the other part of him was annoyed that it wasn't happening to him.

"So." Demona's voice finally changed from her seductive tone to her serious one. "What do you think, Dante? Do you think that this is the year…the one the miko's going to finally come out of hiding and show her face."

Dante shrugged his shoulders, trying his best to ignore her. "I don't know…you're the one that killed the last one, why don't you tell me…and besides…we don't know that she'll actually come to this tournament that we set up, heck for all we know she's probably not even alive yet."

Demona snorted. "Well excuse me…I swear, Dante, if I didn't know any better you were going gay on me…you're not going to go all self righteous are you?"

Dante chuckled to himself. "Gay? Me? No. Self righteous huh? I can assure you Ms. Sigfreed that my intentions are the same as yours…I too want the miko dead. But you can't help but listen to the voice of reason. Every year it's the same routine, but never a miko. I'm beginning to wander if we should just pack up and try a different tactic to lure the girl in. Because this little plan of yours…" he snagged a faulty glare at Gore, "isn't working at all. We've been pulling off this little charade tournament of yours for years now. And we still have nothing to show for it."

"We've become filthy rich." Gore protested.

Dante snorted. "I'd rather have the dead body of a miko than riches."

Demona leaned in and traced her fingers along Dante's chest. "You sounded so sexy when you said that."

Dante rolled his eyes and pushed her off of him once again.

She whimpered from rejection but continued on with the topic at hand…"are you disinterested with my body already?" some topic. "After all those nights together, Dante…."

Dante groaned. Nights? What nights?

Gore quickly countered, seizing the opportunity to possibly get a little action. "I think it's perfect," his eyes scanned her all over. "Such perfect skin, and curves, and…and…and."

Demona suddenly felt the need to cover herself up. She didn't much like Gore. He was an Elvis Presley 'wanna' be. "It was not you that I asked." She snapped.

Gore sighed as he undressed her with his eyes.

Demona ignored him, knowing what he was doing but not being bothered by it. Why not let the little fool have some fun?

"Can I not have a serious conversation with either of you." Dante growled, throwing glares at the other man and woman in the room. "This is serious…" he turned his glare once again on Demona, "and it does not have anything to do with intimate relations, we have a problem on our hands that needs dealing with."

Demona sighed. "I don't understand it, I killed a miko, big whoop, but then she sends some kind of curse on me." She cleared her throat and then proceeded in a mocking tone: "you will never be rid of me, I shall send my wrath for you again someday you retched, foul, demon, before you die I shall send my reincarnation to smite you. Beware, for I will have my revenge." She dusted her skirt off. "Can you believe that damn Midoriko? She called me retched and foul. Do you know how long and hard it was to kill that damn bitch? Three freaking years?" Demona threw her hands in the air. "I had to hunt the damn whore down, fight her like over a hundred times, which she almost always escaped. You have no idea how many people and villages I had to kill and destroy just to lure the damn miko out." Her temper was rising.

Dante just sighed. "It was over five thousand years ago…get over it."

"No." Demona snapped. "I've been searching for this damn miko that Midoriko prophesied for so many damn centuries…it's like she sent me on a wild goose chase, but I am not giving up. Oh no."

Gore chuckled, "it's a shame I wasn't alive back then, I would have killed Midoriko for you.'

Demona shot Gore a nasty look. "I did a fine job thank you very much. I wasn't the only one who was hunting for her, but I was the one that killed her after all."

Dante smirked. "And you're the one she's sending another miko after. It's kind of ironic if you ask me."

The demoness stuck her nose up in the air. "Better me kill her before she kills me. That's why I refuse to close this tournament down. It's the perfect place for that damn miko; it's crawling with demons, all gathered together in a building for her to pick them off…all we have to do is sit and wait for her. Heck, the damn janitor is a demon…she can't resist the chance, it's too great of an opportunity, there's more than over four thousand demons in that arena, it's like a freaking breading ground."

Gore nodded his consent. "I agree with the lady."

"Do you two ever listen?" Dante moaned, messaging his temples. "What if she's not even alive yet?"

Demona only smiled. "Then we will keep going with business as usual. Until then we will wait for her."

"How do we even now she'll come here, she may be a miko, but there are too many demons here for one girl to handle."

Demona smirked at naïve little Dante. "Because." She sighed simply. "Midoriko, before I ripped her face off, told me the miko would distinctively come after me and avenge Midoriko's death…the girl has to come here…because I am here."

"You have got to be kidding me?" Dante sighed. "How do you know she's not just going to show up one night and slit your throat? How can you just assume that the girl goes to high school; is on the martial arts team, let alone the fact that her school might not even have a martial arts team; and then she makes it and has the funding to even come here? You know you are taking a wild stab in the dark with this tournament."

"I don't know she'll come to this tournament." She shot at him.

"Then what is the point of continuing it?"

"We have to make a living somehow." She screamed, making Gore momentarily jerk out of his seat and land on the floor.

Dante snorted. "With a stolen body like yours, you could make a fine prostitute, and hey…you've had plenty of practice."

Demona's eyes widened, loosing all aspect of her normal confidence and being replaced with shock and hurt. Stolen? It was true her body was not her own. But that didn't change the matter that his comment hurt her none-the-less. Demona was a different type of demon, not like the ones you see while walking down the street. She was a Digestaria Monioa Demon, a very rare demon that survives by devouring other demons and humans, and using their body parts to make her own fleshy corpse. Her arms, and legs, and stomach, and organs, and eyes, and mouth, and hair belonged to her victims before she had ripped it off of their remains and adjoined the ligament to her own body. As a matter of fact, her face had been purposely taken from Midoriko. But that didn't change the fact that Dante had more or less called Demona a whore.

"If it weren't for this damn tournament, Dante. You'd still be in the alley feeding off mice…you damn vampire." She spat. She knew calling him a vampire would be as equal of a crude remark with the one that Dante had said. Vampires the most frowned upon form of demons there were; made from the specific dead corpse of a human…a mere meal ticket to a demon like Demona. Normally if a highly sophisticated demon like Demona and a measly little vampire like Dante were in the same room it would have been considered flat out outlandish. It just never happened.

Dante stood to his feet. "Quit being such a stubborn ass, Demona. Knowing you, the girl is right under your nose."

"Excuse me, I think I would have noticed if a miko was near me or not. I'm not blind you know?"

"Then please by all means, pray tell me where that Precious Sion of yours?" Dante snapped, rushing out the door and slamming it behind him.

Demona's eyes widened as she glanced around the room for Sion. "Where has my baby gotten to?"

~*~*~*~

Kagome wasn't sure if she should be flattered or not that Sion had asked her to dance. But she smiled up at him none-the-less, dancing away as the music played, although not in as formal a fashion as she had done with Inuyasha, his hands were placed in…more friendlier places.

He had the most innocent face though, she couldn't put her finger on it. But there was something about him, something raw, something different from anyone she had ever met. There was…pain? It was the weirdest feeling Kagome Hirugashi had ever had, she didn't know how, but her miko instincts kicked in, and it was like just by touching him she could feel his pain, not the kind of pain she was accustomed too. Like when you fall and hurt your ankle and then cry out for your mommy, who rushes to your side and makes it better. No, this had death, death written all over it; there was no mother to cry to, never had been and never will be. But that wasn't it, as her skin continued to stay in contact with his, she became more and more aware of him…she saw murders, visions of them, pulsating into her, there were lots of them…they were endless. They were painful. She saw a preteen boy staring up at a man with bloodstained hands, the body of a young girl lying on the floor. Kagome didn't recognize her, but she seemed so young…she watched as the boy screamed, running to the girls side. 'Dominique.' And as the little girl and boy faded away into nothingness. She saw another murder, one more gruesome, and then another, and another, and another. They were endless and all of them had been done by that man…each death growing more horrible than the last…and all of the victims were…girls. She saw a woman be decapitated and then stuffed into a duffel bag.

Kagome's brain began swelling, pressing against her skull. She instantly jerked away from Sion, her heart pounding as her smile faded away into a horror filled expression. Normally she would have been concerned of him thinking she was acting like an idiot, but after the images she had seen in her head, she didn't care, she was scared, not of him, but of his memories buried within his skin.

She wanted to scream, 'what are you' but she held it in…in each murder she had seen a man and an innocent little boy cowering in the corner, who seemed to grow older with each passing dream…until she saw him now, as he was, standing before her.

"Sion…" Kagome whispered, her hands shaking slightly…Kagome had never seen a murder before…and in the last five seconds…she had seen more than she could keep count of.

"Did I do something?" he asked, taking a step closer to her, he didn't understand. He hadn't offended her had he? He had in no way touched her without her consent.

Kagome shook her head slightly, "no, no, no…you didn't do anything." Her statement had a double meaning. That little boy hadn't killed those women. She had distinctively seen him beg and plead the man to stop…Sion?

She kept backing away, accidentally bumping into people behind her. She wanted to ask Sion about what she had seen, but her conscience had come back, I'd sound like an idiot…'seen someone die lately?' that's not something you just ask somebody, and what if it was my imagination…what if I'm wrong and all that was just a daydream? I would look like a freak…he'd probably go tell the judges that I'm not mentally stable to be in the competition. I'd sound like a psycho…meant for a psychiatric ward. And what if it wasn't just a dream…what if all that really happened?

"Kagome?" Sion asked, praying to God that that was her name.

She slowly succumbed to her fear, backing away even more as he reached up to touch her arm. She winced when his skin grazed across hers, her heart pounding…but then she realized…there wasn't anymore…pain. There…there wasn't anymore… anymore…memories. He was…touching her…and…and…she didn't see…any…murders. Had she been seeing things? Was it just a figment of her imagination? What had happened? Who was he? What was he? That little boy, Kagome didn't know how she knew, had been human. She was positive of it. But staring up into Sion's face was keeping her guessing.

"Did I do something wrong, miss?"

Kagome shook her head frantically, her knees buckled, and she would have collapsed to the floor had Sion not caught her, lifting him up in her arms bridal style.

"Do I need to take you to a nurse, Kagome?"

She shook her head again. She tried to tell him she was fine but when she opened her mouth…nothing came out. Why can't I speak?

"Are you sure?"

Kagome nodded, but he didn't buy it, he knew something was wrong. "At least let me take you backstage and let you rest on a couch or something?"

"I…I'm fine." Kagome squeaked in a horse voice. Sion looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Oh God! He probably thinks I've got some kind of disease or something?

"You know, I don't want to be bothersome…but I can tell you're lying. People don't just all of a sudden fall apart for no reason."

Oh great…I fell apart? I knew he figured I was some kind of mental patient. But Kagome's mind wandered, wandered to those murders, she had seen so many deaths, so many bodies…Kagome had just seen a lifetime of pain flash before her eyes, and it wasn't even her life. But then the question appeared, how was it that she had seen Sion's past? All she had done was touch him, what had happened?

Kagome suddenly didn't feel so good, seeing all that gore was making her feel like she had to throw up. She covered her mouth with her hands. "Sion…" her voice trailed off. "I don't feel so good."

Sion nodded, instantly understanding…since her face was turning a sickly green.

He pushed his way through the crowd, just as Kagome simultaneously passed out; he worked his way, weaving in and out as fast as he could. He was about halfway to the stage when someone grabbed his arm. He turned around to see…Inuyasha. Sion smirked, he remembered Osuwari; he remembered Osuwari well. When he had fought Inuyasha last year in the tournament it had probably been the hardest fight Sion had ever had to fight, Inuyasha was a good fighter, a great fighter…he had deserved to win first place last year, even if he had taken home second. Not that Sion had cheated or anything, it had been a fair fight.

"Where are you taking Kagome?" Inuyasha growled. He still thought Sion had cheated.

Sion shrugged his shoulders. "She's sick, she passed out."

"Where are you taking my girlfriend." A low primitive snarl crawled up from the back of his throat.

Sion looked at Inuyasha with a raised eyebrow. Hadn't Inuyasha and Kagome been talking earlier about her being his fake girlfriend? But he reluctantly handed the strangely pretty girl over to the raven-haired boy. "Come on, follow me. We need to lie her down somewhere."

Inuyasha had no idea why he had gotten incredibly angry when he had noticed Sion carrying Kagome; he didn't know what force had possessed him to actually confront Sion about it either. But he had done it. Normally he would have just shrugged it off and continued to have fun at the party, but when had seen Sion carrying Kagome's lifeless body he had instinctively ran to her side. And know he cradled her in his arms, following Sion to wherever he was heading.

Kagome moaned slightly, whimpering words that Inuyasha couldn't understand. Her head hung back, with her extra long hair slightly grazing the floor. "Kagome." Inuyasha whispered trying to bring her back to life. He wanted to shake her but he knew that wouldn't be wise.

"Inuyasha." Kagome whispered; her head still hung back, and her eyes still close. "Murder." Her voice was different. It sent chills down Inuyasha's spine. It was like a ghostly faint whisper.

Inuyasha's eyes widened. What? Had she just asked him to kill somebody?

"I…" She trailed off, her lips slightly parted, as her eyes slowly slid open. Not good. Inuyasha noticed her eyes had changed, back to like they had been on Halloween Night. It wasn't Kagome anymore…it was the miko. Her eyes were empty and dead. And her face was visibly paling. "I saw…dead bodies…everywhere."

Inuyasha gulped as Kagome slowly lifted her head. Not good, not good not good. This is not the time or the place to go all miko on me, Kagome. "What are you talking about?" he stopped, only a few steps in front of the stage.

Kagome's face turned to Sion, who had immediately stopped when he heard her say murder.

"Is…is she…ok?" Sion gaped at her. She knows?

"It's okay little boy," Kagome went out to touch Sion, but this time he was the one to jerk away in fear. "Thou shalt not be afraid…ye are safe with me. I will protect thee from thy father. Come little child." Kagome stepped out of Inuyasha's arms she reached a welcoming hand out for Sion, but he backed away again.

"…" Sion's eyes grew larger and larger. He turned to Inuyasha. "What kind of demon is she?"

Inuyasha wasn't sure how to answer that. "Uh…um…I…uh, demons…there's no such things as demons."

Sion looked at Inuyasha skeptically, before he grabbed Kagome by the wrist and pulled her and Inuyasha around the stage, he led them into one of the many rooms behind the large platform that had been rigged inside the arena. He shut, locked, and double bolted the door shut flipping on the lights. He stared at Kagome.

She was staring back at him with a blank and empty face, before she reached up for him once more. "Ye loved her did thy not?"

Sion stared at her in wander, now that he could be alone with her...he just stood still and listened to her.

"That girl…" Kagome continued. "Dominique…she was the last victim who's life thy father claimed."

Sion nodded. "How do you know that?"

Kagome only smiled in a motherly way, her features still soulless. "By thy skin. It's washed…with her blood. Ye are not alone child…do not fear me. Take my hand." She held her small hand out to him. But he didn't take it.

Inuyasha on the other hand was about to have a heart attack. What's happening to her…why has she reverted to her miko form? This is great just great. This is what we need, someone else knowing Kagome's a miko. This is not good…we're so totally screwed. Oh so screwed.

"What is she?" Sion asked, staring over at Inuyasha, who just shrugged his shoulders; sweat poring down his face.

Kagome's eyes reverted over to Inuyasha, her pupils slowly growing darker and darker. She instead held her hand out to him. "Come to me Osuwari…" her voice was still giving Inuyasha the chills. What was he going to do? What was he supposed to do?

"I'm not a fool." Sion spat at Inuyasha. "I know this girls a demon…I know what demons are…hell I am one. Tell me, what kind of demon is she?"

Inuyasha racked his brain, as he picked the reluctant Kagome back into his arms and laid her on a couch he had spotted in the room.

"She's a Readalia Pasokaldia Demon." He lied through his teeth, making the name up off the top of his head. "They're uh…mind reader demons."

Sion nodded, buying into the lie completely.

Kagome still lying on the couch stared up into Inuyasha's eyes. "Let me save him. He was just a small boy…I saw bodies…dead bodies…of women, all the women he ever loved." She turned her gaze over to Sion. "thy father…he killed everything, thy mother, thy sisters, thy aunts, thy cousins, thy neighbors, thy friends,…thy love. Sion Barzahd, thy father took everything from thee…ye hated him. That is why ye killed him. Sion stabbed his father when he was sleeping…"

Sion gulped. She knew everything, and he didn't want to leave, even when she was pouring out all that he had been through for everyone to hear. He just wanted to know, it was like he knew she could help him…demon or no…she could save him.

"Do not fear my Sion…I know what ye are. Ye have endured pain, and yet ye still keep all thy past bottled up and locked away, eating at ye from the inside. Ye act as if nothing ever happened, but it is there, 'tis thy pain, 'tis thy past, 'tis thy end. Ye continue to blend in with the crowd, the mortals. But ye are different, ye are sad, burdened with memories that can not be forgotten. Let me take them away. Let me erase them. Let me protect you…let me make you mortal again. Ye sold thy soul to forget…but they are still there…I can help you."

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered, getting slightly frightened himself. "What's happening to you?"

Sion peered over at Inuyasha. "You mean this has never happened before?"

Inuyasha shook his head, never tearing his eyes away from her. "no it's happened before, but not for just no reason at all…I, I think I should take her back to the hotel."

Sion wanted to protest, he wanted to learn more…more about Dominique, about the girl Sion had loved, and then his father had killed her. He wanted to learn even when he never mentioned this subject, he wanted to know. He thought that maybe if this girl, if this Kagome could do something like this she could do the impossible and contact Dominique, but that in itself sounded way stupider than he wanted to admit. This girl knew everything about him…something he himself knew nothing about.

Kagome went to touch Inuyasha. "You." She sighed her fingers tracing over his cheek. "I know you…."

Inuyasha groaned. "It's me, Kagome…it's me Inuyasha. You know; the lying, cheating, two-timing, jerk. I'm the asshole, remember?"

Kagome smiled. "Will ye help me protect the boy if something happens to me. He doesn't know."

Okay now both Inuyasha and Sion were curious.

"Doesn't know what?"

"He's only a child…he's too young."

"Too young for what?" Inuyasha persisted.

"For fate, destiny, and death." Kagome let out one last breath, turning to look at Sion one last time. "He's just a little boy. I have to protect him…he'll die." Kagome's eyes closed slowly, as she lost all signs of consciousness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

*__* Oh, things are finally getting interesting. What's happening with Kagome? Is she okay? Is she going to get found out by Demona? What's Sion going to do or say? What is Sion? All these questions will not be answered in the next chapter…I'm so mean. But you will find out some things so stay tuned.